Geraldine E. Cross

Geraldine "Grandma Deanie" Cross, finally went to rest with Jesus on February 17th, 2016, after 101 and a half years of constant motion and what she called, “piddling.” Deanie rarely sat still; in her 90s she walked the Las Vegas strip in heels, without struggle. Even in the past two years, when she was mostly confined to bed, she would consistently ask, “should I be doing something?” We’re happy she is resting now. Deanie was born to Mattie and Leroy House in Oakland, CA, in 1914. The House family later moved to Medford, OR, where Deanie and her younger brother, Lee grew up. She attended Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, ID, and graduated with a teaching degree. After college Deanie got a job teaching at Eden High School where she met and married Irving McDonald, a farmer and magician with a love for fishing. Deanie and Irving had two girls, Dee Dee and Kim. Irving passed away in 1965. After updating her teaching certificate through summer school in Ashland, OR, Deanie landed a job at Valley High School as a high school English teacher. It is here that she met Neil Cross, a handsome and eligible Ag teacher. Neil and Deanie were married in 1968 in Alexandria, VA. They raised Dee Dee and Kim in Eden, but left often to travel the world and discover the beauty of God’s great wilderness. Deanie had an immense passion for singing; she greatly enjoyed hymns in church, praising at the top of her lungs. She spent countless days serving in the Valley Presbyterian Church and singing her praises to Jesus. Deanie also spent hours practicing with her friends in the singing group, The Codas. They loved travelling to the regional and national Legion conventions to participate in the choral competitions. After Deanie retired from teaching, she dedicated her time to preparing flawless home-cooked meals, working in the garden with her “honey,” playing bridge with friends, attending plays and supporting sporting events of the Valley Vikings. As her grandchildren grew, Deanie dedicated nearly every Sunday to them; Sundays were full of laughter, games, trips over “the bumps” in Eden, and meals that took hours to prepare. In her later years, she kept her mind busy by constantly working on a crossword puzzle; she would not be seen without a clipboard and pen by her side. She often teased that she was not always lucky, but that she was certainly lucky (she would say yucky) in love. We will forever cherish our memories of playing cards with her and her excitement when she yelled, “oh goodie goodie, I got two more cards.” How she reminded her girls often, that all she really wanted was boys (somehow we knew this was not true), or how she made a flat tire in the South Hills one of our favorite memories. How she kept Certs and Butterscotch Lifesavers in her purse for long Sunday sermons, and how she kept the Coors Light fully stocked in her garage fridge for a break for the kids after long days of working in the fields. She was not only a Grandma to her children’s children, but to so many others that had the pleasure of spending time with her. Deanie was preceded in death by an infant brother and her parents. She is survived by a brother Lee (Midge) House; her husband, Neil Cross; her daughters, Dee Dee (Mike) Gott and Kim McDonald; four grandchildren, Callie (Kori) Ruhter, Michelle (Josh) Bernas, Kinsey (Slade) Sokol, and John (Glo) Gott; and four great grandchildren. God truly blessed Deanie’s life with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and Neil, a truly wonderful and loving husband who never tired of caring for her. A special thanks from the family goes to the caretakers at Bridgeview and especially the caretakers at Willowbrook and Visions Hospice and their Chaplin for the love and kindness they have shown the past 3 years in taking such wonderful care of her. The family suggests memorials to Evangelical Valley Presbyterian Church in Hazelton, Idaho. Memorial services will be held at 11:00AM, Monday, March 7, 2016 at Rosenau Funeral Home.